1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to agricultural harvesting machines and, more particularly, is concerned with an improved crop gathering reel assembly therefor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present invention provides a crop gathering reel assembly for a harvesting machine which constitutes an improvement over that disclosed and illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,664,101 and 3,724,183 which issued respectively on May 23, 1972 and Apr. 3, 1973 to Joseph C. Hurlburt and are assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.
The prior art reel assembly disclosed in the aforesaid patents included a transverse stationarily-disposed main hollow support tube and multiple reel sections disposed generally in side-by-side relationship along the support tube with each reel section including at least two spiders rotatably bearing around the surface of the support tube. The drive train for the reel assembly included at least one internal bevel gear coaxially fixed to a particular spider of each reel section and disposed such that it surrounds the main support tube, a main drive shaft journalled for rotation within the main support tube and a series of pinion gears spaced along the main drive shaft and fixed thereto so as to be exposed through openings formed within the main support tube and particularly spaced for meshing engagement with respective internal gears on the respective spiders of the reel sections. Also, a support structure was mounted on the main support tube adjacent each of the spiders having the internal gear and a roller was rotatably mounted on the support structure. The roller was vertically spaced relative to each of the pinion gears and engaged with the respective internal gear so as to maintain engagement between the respective pinion gears and internal gears.
While the main drive shaft of this prior art reel assembly did not have to shoulder the burden of supporting the reel assembly and advantageously drove the reel assembly at numerous points therealong as opposed to driving a single end portion of a main reel shaft as done previously, many of the essential components incorporated by this prior art assembly, such as large diameter ball bearings and gears, were expensive, hard to service and lacking in durability.